[Breast Cancer Awareness Day] EXCLUSIVE: When Breast Cancer is death sentence and when it’s not – Cancer activist, Mrs Ebunola Anozie
Every year, the month of October is a time to create awareness of breast cancer. From 1st to 31st of October every year, communities all over the world come together to support and encourage people living with and survivors of breast cancer.
The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a good opportunity to think back, help others, or even celebrate.
However, for many others, the Breast Cancer Awareness Month also serves as a sad reminder of their own personal experience with breast cancer and the numerous lives it has claimed.
The first celebration of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was in 1985 when the American Academy of Family Physicians in collaboration with other organizations and sponsors joined forces to create awareness and raise funding for research into finding a cure.
Although, every day in the month of October is to create awareness for breast cancer, October 13th (today) is specially set aside for people to learn more about the challenges that patients face and how the society can support them.
To mark the 2022 Breast Cancer Awareness Day, NewsClick Nigeria had an exclusive chat with Mrs Ebunola Anozie, CEO of Care Organization Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E), a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1995.
C.O.P.E serves as a Breast Cancer resource service provider for students, women, breast cancer survivors and care givers with the aim of making certain that women have access to breast screening and everything that has to do with the breast.
Anozie during the exclusive interview explained in details all there is to know about the monstrous cancer. She noted that while cancer, particularly that of the breast should not be a death sentence; however, victims’ poor understanding of the ailment and when to seek help has made it a death sentence for some.
Meaning and cause of breast cancer
“Nobody really knows the cause of breast cancer. But when a cell in the body grows and multiply, for no useful purpose that is when you have cancer.
“We should also realize that the cause of breast cancer has predisposing factors. When I say predisposing factors, I mean there is no one cause. I am talking about being a woman. It is something you cannot change. Being a woman and getting older. It’s a predisposing factor.
“Family history can cause it. It could be genetic. That also happens. That’s why we always advise those who have it in the family to always do regular screening and then have mammogram when they get to the age of 40, so that if there is anything there, the earlier they find out the better. Also lack of exercise can expose one to it. Then there is exposure to radiation. You will find out that even those who work in the hospital, and they deal with active rays, they protect themselves from rays. There is a way they do it. So, if you’re exposed to radiation, it can also affect you. Then some people who take contraceptive medication, we know that one should prevent unwanted pregnancy, but, if you’re taking oral contraceptives, its best for you to change it or stop it for a while and then you can start something else. There are times some of these drugs can affect one. Then the reproductive history of a woman as well can expose one to breast cancer. So, all these things come to play, but all in all, like I always say, the earlier you start doing your examination, the better for you.”
Claims about causes and preventions of breast cancer
“There are different claims. Some people say if somebody suck your breasts you can have it. All these things are not true. But like I said earlier, when a cell grows and multiply for no useful purpose, that is when you have cancer, and it can be in any part of the body.”
Symptoms of breast cancer
“The symptoms are quite important for one to know. If you have a lump in the breast or underarm, it is important that you go and have it screened. That is why we always emphasize on breast self-examination. Breast self-examination should be done a week after menstruation. Once you’re a woman and you’re menstruating, a week after your menstruation, when you are doing your breast self-examination, there are certain things that you are looking out for. You are not just touching your breast. You are looking for a lump in the breast or in the underarm. You are looking for tingling or irritation of the skin.
“Sometimes, the skin might look like an orange peel. You should take note of things that are unusually happening. And then if you find out that your nipple is receding, it’s puckered, it’s going in instead of your nipple coming out, it’s a sign as well. Then if one breast is unusually bigger than the other, that’s another sign. You know that naturally one sight of the body is slightly bigger than the other. Just like the shoes, most people their left leg is slightly bigger than the right. If you notice that one breast is getting bigger than the other and it is noticeable, then please you have to go and see the doctor. And then if your breast is becoming red and you feel uncomfortable, then you should see your doctor. We also have the one where you inspect your nipple and you have odd color or bloody discharge, one you notice that please, ensure that you go and see the doctor. And speaking of swelling in the breast area, it is important as well for you to take note of. And if you have any painful sensation, for your health’s sake, have it checked. It doesn’t cost anything, so that you don’t regret it. So those are the things I will say are authentic for you to check when you are doing your breast self-examination or ultrasound scan. Ultrasound scan is equally important. And basically, we tell women who are over 40 to have their mammogram done. Ultrasound scan can be done by anybody of any age. But when it comes to mammogram, we advise that mammogram should be done when you are over 40, and mammogram should not be done frequently because if you do it often, it can also trigger a cell to act anomaly. But those who have it in their family genes, we advise that they start mammogram earlier than 40.”
Cancer as death sentence
“That is not true. I have been running this organization for 27 years now and I actually have women who are breast cancer survivors. Many of them are 18 years, 17 years after breast cancer. We have some that we have lost. What we are saying in essence is, when you catch it early and it is not invasive, it is evasive, meaning that it has not spread.
“You don’t even need to cut off your breast. You can still keep your breast, which means that probably it is in stage one or two. That is why we always say please, breast cancer is not a death sentence. People have survived it. I have almost 39 people or so who come here every third day of the month for their meeting. We have the meeting once a month and they are active women, they are mothers, and they are sisters. Some of them are grandmothers and they have had breast cancer. And they are living, they are still alive. So don’t let anybody tell you that breast cancer is a death sentence. It’s a death sentence if you leave it to linger until it gets to a bad stage. Then you will know that there is no longer any remedy for this because it has actually spread to other organs of the body. Then, the only thing they will do is to just give one palliative care. Palliative care is just to make sure that the person doesn’t feel any pain until they breathe their last.”
Stages of breast cancer
We have four stages of breast cancer; stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. You can have a stage 1, a stage 3, you can have stage 2A, stage 2B. It depends on the presentation of the cancer. When you have biopsy done, the biopsy will tell the patient the stage of the cancer. That’s why we say, we’re comfortable with stages 1, 2. Stage 3 to stage 4 is 50/50. But we have people who have survived stage 3 and I can say categorically that I have seen a woman who survived stage 4. A 71-year-old woman; she survived stage 4. So even when you are talking about stages, you are talking about treatment, it’s not one side, its 4 sides. I always say that people should come when its stage 1 or 2, not stage 3 or 4. That means that if its stage 3 or 4, it can spread to other organs of the body. But stage 1 and 2 might be in one particular place and it has not spread. But to avoid recurrence, stage one and two will be treated the same way. Treatment of cancer is an individual thing. Presentation of one person’s cancer is different from the presentation of someone else’s cancer. So those stages are very important and occasionally, they determine how one will be successful in treatment. So, 1 and 2, I agree, three, we can still say yes; their survival is high but might just be a matter of managing the cancer.”
Treatment of breast cancer
“I’m not an Oncologist so I won’t be able to say exactly how much it costs. Like I said, the treatment for two patients varies. It might be that both patients present stage two cases but it depends on the components of the patients’ body because there are special tests that they will run to see what medications will be prescribed for each patient. We have some medications that cost as much as probably N6,000,000:00 and you’re supposed to take it. There is nothing you can do. You will have to source for it because that medication is what will kill the cancer cell.
“Then we have those who they don’t prescribe as much as that for. That is why I am saying to you that treatment of cancer is an individual thing. Cancer is an individual disease. It is not like taking malaria tablets; they (Medics) will have to run series of tests. The biopsy and other things are done to authenticate your blood group, type and also know if that medication is going to kill the cancer cell.
Additionally, treatment of cancer is not one-side-fix-all. We have seen two stage 3 patients; one did not make it, the other one made it. It’s an individual thing and I cannot put a price on its treatment because trust me, it is very expensive. It is no child’s play. We’ve seen those who have sold properties for treatment of cancer.”
